We have a fun 12-game slate ahead of us on Thursday night. Naturally, I see the most value in two of the least enticing matchups. Let's dig in.

Blues (+110) @ Red Wings (-130)

Although their recent record (5-4-1) might not suggest as much, the Blues are playing some truly terrible hockey right now.

They've lost the expected goal - aka weighted shots - battle in eight of the last 10 games and seven in a row. That would perhaps be justifiable if their schedule was difficult, but it hasn't been.

During this stretch, the Blues have faced off against the Red Wings, Sharks (twice), Coyotes, Blue Jackets, and a Capitals team that saw their GM pull the plug on the season at the deadline. If the Blues can't hang at five-on-five with those teams, there's real cause for concern.

I don't have a long list of great things about the Red Wings, but there are a couple. For all their faults, they've defended very well of late. Only five teams have done a better job at suppressing expected goals since the deadline.

They've fared especially well against bad teams, allowing next to nothing at five-on-five to the Blues (1.52 xG), Predators (0.79 xG), and Blackhawks (0.73 xG).

Beyond three or four forwards at the top of the roster, the Blues are paper-thin up front. If they couldn't muster up much against Detroit while controlling matchups at home, I don't see a reason to expect any different on the road.

The Red Wings have played decent hockey in Detroit this calendar year, owning a .500 record at home.

Look for them to take care of business against a Blues side that has won just six times and posted a 41 xGF% away from home in 2023.

Bet: Red Wings (-130)

Kraken (-125) @ Predators (+105)

Death, taxes, and targeting the Predators. I've gone at them a handful of times since the trade deadline, and I'm going back to the well tonight with the Kraken.

Yes, the Predators have done a good job of staying afloat after depleting their roster at the beginning of the month. That being said, their recent wins have come against the Blackhawks, Kings (in a shootout), Ducks, Red Wings, and a Sabres team that's conceded what feels like 500 goals this month.

The Preds scored one goal at home to Chicago. They generated 20 shots at home to the Jets. They generated 22 shots and lost by seven to the Rangers. There isn't a whole lot to be impressed with.

If they're struggling to create against the Blackhawks and Jets (in their current form), I certainly don't have faith in their ability to facilitate offense against the Kraken.

Although there's always the possibility an egg is laid in goal for Seattle, that's about the only way the Preds are going to score against them. The Kraken are very stout defensively and give opponents next to no room to breathe.

They've conceded just 26 shots on goal per game over the last 10, ranking third in the league. The Kraken also sit near the top in terms of suppressing expected goals and chances.

It'll be very difficult for this watered-down Predators lineup to create opportunities with any sort of regularity. If Seattle's goaltending is remotely decent, it should be able to pick up two big points.

Bet: Kraken (-125)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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We have 12 games to look forward to on Thursday's meaty slate. Let's look at three props that stand out from the pack as we seek to build on our 6-0 start to the week.

Ryan Hartman over 2.5 shots (-132)

Similar to Martin Necas, Hartman is a much more efficient shot generator away from home. He has gone over his total in 17 of his 27 road affairs (63%), compared to just eight of 22 at home (36%).

There's every reason to expect Hartman's road success to continue against the Flyers. For one, he's playing a much larger role with Kirill Kaprizov out of the lineup. Hartman is skating on the top power-play unit and routinely sees 19-plus minutes of ice time.

That extra opportunity has led to more shots. Hartman's gone over in four of six games sans Kaprizov while recording more shots than all Wild forwards except Matt Boldy.

Lastly, the positional matchup is very enticing. The Flyers rank 29th in shots against per game versus centers over the last 10.

Jared McCann over 3.5 shots (+135)

McCann has seen his total bump from 2.5 to 3.5, and for good reason. The Kraken's top sniper has recorded four shots or more in seven of the past 10 games, falling one shot shy in two of the three occasions he failed to go over the number.

The uptick in shots we have seen from McCann is no coincidence. He's averaged nearly 19 minutes per night during this stretch, which is well above the 16 he's averaged over the course of the season.

Those extra shifts have been put to good use: McCann has averaged 7.4 attempts over the past 10 games, well above his season output of 4.8 per night.

McCann is playing more minutes, shooting the puck more frequently, and garnering extremely strong results; he's scored seven times in this span.

With the Kraken in the thick of a heated playoff race, I see no reason why they'll ease off the gas and get away from what's working so well for McCann.

Miro Heiskanen over 2.5 shots (-145)

Heiskanen is a monster on home soil. He's registered three shots on goal or more in 70% of his games in Dallas this season, a remarkably impressive rate.

The numbers beneath the hood are much better in Dallas, as you'd expect. He's averaged 5.2 shot attempts on the road this season and 6.8 at home. That's a sizeable gap.

What I love about Heiskanen is he continues to improve upon an already strong process in Dallas. His numbers have increased of late, with Heiskanen registering a team-best 76 attempts over his last 10 in Dallas.

Yes, he's even ahead of Jason Robertson - one of the best volume-shooting wingers in the NHL who's gone over his shot total (3.5, by the way) in 66% of his home affairs.

Heiskanen should be able to stay hot in a sneaky-good matchup Thursday night. The Penguins rank bottom-five in shots against per game versus defensemen and are in the latter half of a road back-to-back, having played at altitude in Colorado.

Expect Heiskanen's home cooking to continue.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid scored twice against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night to reach the 60-goal mark for the first time in his illustrious career.

The milestone tally came on a beautiful overtime winner, which he converted on his second breakaway of the shift.

"Not very happy I missed the first one," McDavid joked after the game. "Leo (Draisaitl) made two unbelievable plays there."

He added: "60 is a nice number. A lot of great players have scored 60 goals before, and it's cool to join that list."

McDavid is the 22nd player in league history to reach the benchmark and only the fourth to do so since 1995-96, joining Auston Matthews (2022), Steven Stamkos (2012), and Alex Ovechkin (2008). The two-time Hart Trophy winner reached the 60-goal plateau in only his 72nd game of the season, the fastest mark among the four active players in the club.

Before Wednesday, Wayne Gretzky (five times) and Jarri Kurri (twice) were the only Oilers to ever score 60 or more goals in a season.

McDavid's previous career high in goals was 44. The 26-year-old is on track to capture his first Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top sniper as well as his fifth Art Ross through eight seasons.

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The Chicago Blackhawks won't wear Pride jerseys during warmup for Sunday's game against the Vancouver Canucks, citing security interests for their Russian players, team sources told The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.

The decision came from the team's front office, which consulted with security officials both inside and outside the organization, according to the Associated Press' Jay Cohen.

Chicago has three players with Russian heritage or family on its roster: Nikita Zaitsev, Philipp Kurashev, and Anton Khudobin. Russia passed a law in December to criminalize LGBTQ+ "propaganda" on any platform.

In January, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to wear a Pride jersey due to his Russian Orthodox religious beliefs, but the rest of his teammates participated. Afterward, the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild - two teams with prominent Russian players - decided against wearing the jerseys on their scheduled Pride nights.

Most recently, goaltender James Reimer was the lone San Jose Shark to sit out his club's Pride night warmup over the weekend, citing his Christian faith.

The Blackhawks will still host Pride Night on Sunday despite not donning rainbow-colored uniforms.

The club released a statement Wednesday addressing their intentions:

"Together, our activities will focus on fostering conversation and more equitable spaces in our pursuit to make hockey more inclusive. We do not condone anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric, and we stand firmly with the community.

"While we know game day celebrations like these are an important way we can use our platform to bring visibility, it is the work we do together 365 days a year that can create true impact in ensuring all of our colleagues, fans and communities feel welcomed and safe within our sport."

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Just like most of the Toronto Maple Leafs' fanbase, superstar Auston Matthews is curious what top prospect Matthew Knies can bring to the table at the NHL level.

Knies is playing out his second season at the University of Minnesota, but is eligible to sign an entry-level contract with Toronto whenever his collegiate campaign ends. Many believe the Leafs could give him a chance to close out the regular season and perhaps suit up in the playoffs, and Matthews supports the cause.

"Yeah of course, I think there's always that intrigue this time of year," the reigning Hart Trophy winner told TSN.

Matthews added: "Hopefully the year he's had kind of gives him some confidence coming in and finishing his season, and seeing where that goes. Jumping in, it's quite a jump, but obviously he's a mature young guy and we'll do everything we can to help him out and give him the best opportunity to succeed."

There is no firm date on when Knies may become available. Minnesota is the top-ranked team in the NCAA, and is expected to make a deep run to the Frozen Four. The championship tournament runs April 6-8, and the Maple Leafs only have three regular season games after the end date - including one against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who will be Toronto's first-round playoff opponent barring a miraculous change in the Atlantic Division standings.

Knies was drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft. He earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors this season after posting 41 points in 36 games, and is one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award as the nation's top player.

The 6-foot-3 winger also represented the United States at the Olympics and world juniors in 2022.

The Maple Leafs are currently fifth in the NHL standings with 93 points.

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Veteran center Brian Boyle officially retired Wednesday after suiting up in 14 NHL seasons.

The 38-year-old wasn't on a roster this season, but he played in 66 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. His next step will be joining NHL Network as a studio analyst.

Boyle was drafted 26th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2003. His longest stint with any team came from 2009-14 with the New York Rangers, where he appeared in 355 games. He also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, and Florida Panthers.

The Massachusetts native racked up 252 points in 871 career games while tacking on 33 more in 124 playoff contests.

Boyle won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2018 for his dedication to the sport after overcoming a chronic myeloid leukemia diagnosis.

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